A City Split In Two
by TWDFAN98
Summary: My own original story about a divided city, split between the poor and the wealthy. One boy has given his childhood to be the mature, responsible leader they all needed. But now, as his 21st birthday dawns, he knows that he's about to give up everything else he ever gained. FULL SUMMARY IN 1ST CHAPTER


In the year 2054, the remainder of the world which survived the Great War, has been divided into two, the wealthy, and the poor, or as the rich refer to them, 'the hopeless'. In New York City, the world's most populated destination, Ryan Parker currently controls everything that happens in his sector, after taking over the role from his mother when he turned his sector isn't easy, problems arise often enough, but after being in the role for 4 years now, and with the help of his family, and secondary leader/best friend Ethan Blake, Ryan has matured into the responsible young man his people need. They look up to him, respect him, but soon will be forced to fair without him, as when he turns 21, he will be forced to take his father's role on the council, where he will never be able to go back again.

He stood firmly, the sunlight beaming down on him as the sweat trickled down his forehead. He leant against the rails, the line which separated the poor from the rich, or as he thought, the humans from the other humans. People buzzed past, without a care in the world for the poor. They were on work duty, and Ryan had agreed to come and accompany some of the children, helping to teach them the jobs that he would one day not be here to do.

When he finally managed to pull his attention from the city streets, he turned to look at one of the young lads, Peter, who attempted to carry a box nearly twice his size. "Whoa," he began; moving swiftly to grab the crate from the younger's arms. "Hey there, why don't I take this box for now, and you can go and see if the girls need any help over there." Ryan tried his hardest to convince the child with a smile. He knew it wasn't a job any child should have to do, and as he was in charge, he hated having to ask for it, but it was for the best. The boy smiled in return and nodded gratefully before running off to join his friends.

Ryan began assorting the crate of food into the van, the one van they owned, solely for the purpose of moving things, and quickly counted the boxes to ensure they were all there. Ryan enjoyed being there for this job, because if his dad ever did anything for him, it was this. He never got to see his father, as he was forced to live in the city as soon as he joined the council. That means that he fights to improve the living conditions of the homeless. In recent years they have been allocated small living tents to provide shelter, sleeping bags for comfort, even a few plastic tables were donated, which Ryan had given to the bigger families in the sector.

"Hey, we all sorted back there?" A familiar voice asked: Ethan.

"Yeah, they're all there, now we just gotta round up the kids!" Ryan said, forcing a small laugh at the end. He shuffled back to his spot on the rails, scanning the scenery in front of him. It was funny how the sun seemed to shine in the promise land, yet hide in the slums. Before long, Ethan joined him on the rails, "Somethin's buggin' you man, c'mon speak your mind!"

"Well," He sighed deeply before continuing, to exaggerate how overdue the question truly was, "It's my 20th birthday today, I have a year left of all this before I leave and never come back, to be one of the three most hated people in the city. And then there's the ball thing tonight, where I'm gonna see my dad for the first time in years, and not to mention we have to dance with some random city girl!"

Ethan took a couple of moments to take it all in, before bursting into fits of laughter. "Ha-ha! Oh my god dude, we live in shitville, which, 'not to mention', we're forced to spend our teen years running, and that's what your worried about? Hell I'm excited to cross this stupid ass line! And the ball tonight? Just hope that you get stuck with one of the hot ones, and don't worry, I'll save you a dance."

"Wait, so you're not scared to leave here? To leave your mom on her own?" Ethan just kept shaking his head. "Okay, okay, how about to take over with Micky?" That point was met with some sort of feared response, and they both burst out laughing. When they'd finally regained their composure, Ethan responded somewhat mockingly, "Oh god, well at least I'll have you by my side, as for Micky, god help us!" The laughter continued for a while, before Ethan finally began walking back towards the kids. "Right, I'll round up these suckers, you get the food back." With that said, he began jogging into the distance.

Alone again, Ryan once again lost his focus within the city life. The car's whizzing by, busy people buzzing by, it was crazy to him, to see everything so vividly, so alive. A particular group of girls, about his age, caught Ryan's attention as they stormed past, without a care in the world to the others around them as they giggled and laughed with joy and excitement. Ryan wished he could have had a childhood like that, but instead he had to grow up; and fast.

The girls paused to cross at the lights directly in front of him, they'd been on green for some time, yet one girl decided to run across, creating a domino effect as they all waddled across, leaving the one, quieter blonde girl at the back, who only began to walk when the lights changed.

As if sensing the danger, Ryan began hurdling the fence nervously, clinging on to it slightly as he watched things play out. One car began speeding out from the other side of the junction, just as the girl in the road froze with fear. As she froze, Ryan sped up, his body instantly kicking into a sprint as he headed for her. He heard someone shout at him from behind, maybe Ethan or just a random city-goer, but he didn't care. The girl began to scream just as his hands wrapped around her waist, pulling her backwards.

Everything went dark for a moment for Chris. He didn't see, he just felt. The car whizzing past, the heavy heart beat on his chest, he couldn't tell if it was his or hers, but he didn't really care. The biggest sensation was the feeling of her trembling hand brushing across the side of his face, and her hot, light breath, purring across his neck. He was definitely sure that the heavy heartbeat was his now.

When his eyes finally opened, they were instantly met with a pair of crystal blue eyes, no more than a few inches from his own. He didn't notice the smile tugging on the corner of his lips, "Uh… Hi," He mumbled, unsure of what to say in this nervous moment, "I should probably let you get up!" He said, clearer this time, finally releasing his arms from around her waist. As soon as she did, she began to move, but not once broke the connection between their eyes. It was as if her words had escaped her.

By the time they had both picked themselves up, the girl was being scoured by her friends, and Ryan decided it's best if he didn't wait for a reply. He slowly pulled himself from the action and jogged back to the rails, hopping over them and slipping into the van before anyone could notice. With one look into the side mirror, he could still pick out those blue eyes, as if she were watching him from an impossible distance.


End file.
